4 Ups, 4 Downs: Patriots Don't Fall For Colts' Tricks
By Matthew Geagan, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- It wasn't the blowout many expected, but the Patriots improved to 5-0 on Sunday with a 34-27 win over the Colts in Indianapolis.
A win is a win, but it was far from perfect from the Patriots. The Colts actually took a 21-20 lead into the locker room at halftime, and if it wasn't for one giant boneheaded play call from Chuck Pagano, this one could have been much closer.
Here are the Ups and Downs we took away from Sunday night's Patriots victory, with a few extra Ups and one less Down:
Ups
Can't Fool Us
We're still trying to figure out what Pagano and the Colts were thinking when they ran some kind of fake punt on a 4th and 3 at their own 37-yard line. The Patriots' special teams unit couldn't be fooled though, and Brandon Bolden burst through the non-existent offensive line to get to Colt Anderson before he even knew what hit him. That play shifted the game, as the Patriots were in the end zone a few plays later, up by two scores.
Move over "Butt Fumble," Chuck Pagano has just one-upped you.
Gronk Makes Some History
It had been two games since Rob Gronkowski scored a touchdown, but he wasn't going to let that drought carry over to a third week. He only had three catches against the Colts, all in the third quarter, but his 25-yard catch-and-run touchdown early in the third quarter got New England off to the second half start they needed.
The touchdown also gave Gronkowski 60 for his career in just 70 games, making him the fastest tight end to reach that mark in NFL history.
Blount Continues To Roll Over Indy
He didn't have the big numbers in the box score, but Blount scored two more touchdowns against the Colts on Sunday night. He had 93 rushing yards and a touchdown on 13 carries and added an 11-yard touchdown grab in the third quarter. He joked after the game that it was his first receiving touchdown since high school.
Amendola's Big Game
Julian Edelman was off his game for most of this one thanks to a wild-looking pinky (more on that in a minute), but Danny Amendola picked up the slack. He finished with seven catches for 105 yards on nine targets. Heading into Sunday's game, Amendola had just 10 receptions for 98 yards.
Chandler Jones Wreaks Havoc
The defensive end was all over the place in this one, finishing the game with four tackles (two for a loss) and 2.5 sacks.
Bonus: Jamie Collins Is Simply Amazing
Is this guy human?
Downs
Injury Concerns
Edelman didn't look the same after his right pinky went a little crazy in the first quarter:
He finished with six receptions and a touchdown on 10 targets, but couldn't haul in a Brady pass in the second quarter that turned into an Indianapolis pick-six.
And Edelman's pinky isn't the only injury to be worried about. Left tackle Marcus Cannon left in the first half with a toe injury (forcing Sebastian Vollmer to move over to the left side), causing more strain on New England's depth on the O-Line. They did a pretty good job protecting Brady, but Cannon's status going forward is a concern.
The Patriots also lost Jabaal Sheard to a knee injury and Matthew Slater was helped off the field late in the fourth quarter with a leg injury. The depth chart is getting to be one big question mark in some very important areas.
But at least Brandon LaFell is eligible to come off the PUP list, and is excited to return.
Run Defense
The Patriots missed Dont'a Hightower in the middle of the field, as they surrendered 120 yards on the ground. Frank Gore had 78 yards on 13 carries, and the Colts averaged 5.5 yards per carry.
Too Many Penalties
The Patriots were flagged eight times for 72 yards. Devin McCourty was responsible for a pair of those flags, penalized for a block in the back on special teams and a costly pass interference.
